Sqord: The next-gen app to get the next gen active.

iOS, Android, Wearable & Firmware design and development bring this Internet of Things health tech company product to life

The Challenge- Data Visualization

Childhood obesity and a decline in children’s physical activity is a well-known dilemma in the United States. Sqord is taking a stand in the fight against childhood obesity with a gamified fitness wearable that kids love.

Sqord first approached Smashing Boxes with a very different product ecosystem than it boasts today. At the start of the project, Sqord had no mobile app and kids could only sync their fitness data with specific syncing stations located in schools. With no real-time access to fitness data, parents couldn’t view their kids activity. The friendly competitive spirit that’s part of Sqord’s draw was limited to school hallways.

I love Sqord. I use it all the time. I'm never getting rid of it.

Mark Chilcote, Android User

The Approach

In a multi-phase engagement, Smashing Boxes was initially tapped by Sqord to create a prototype for Android tablets. After proving the concept within schools, we went on to build a native app for both Android and iOS that Sqord could put in the hands of parents. Today, the wristband wearable device captures activity like intensity and duration using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology. After playing, kids tap their wristbands to sync their activity with our mobile application and earn rewards, bragging rights and healthier living.

$3.22M

Funding secured

55%

5th graders increased physical activity

4+

Rating in iTunes store

How We Did It

Android, Hardware integration, iOS

An obvious necessity of the project was integrating the app with the Sqord wearable. As the firmware was being developed by a Chinese firm in parallel with our software, strong project management, flexibility and communication proved key to the project’s success. To keep in lockstep with frequent updates to the device’s firmware, our team kept the project on schedule by continuously integrating with these changes. As we moved from tablet development onto app development for mobile phones, we were able to work with the new release of Android API level 21, a much more advanced and feature-rich API than level 18, which we had used for tablet development.

Despite language and timezone barriers, we were able to iterate alongside the hardware provider to ship a quality product that has earned 4+ star ratings in the Android Play and iTunes app stores.

iOS & Android Development

Sqord aims to inspire, track and reward everyday “active play.” Within the Sqord app, kids can cheer each other on with high fives, send Squawks (private pre-written messages) and Thought Bubbles (public pre-written messages,) and challenge friends to competitions. Simply by playing, kids can earn points to upgrade their avatar with fun clothes and accessories. Furthermore, syncing IDs within the app encourages kids to compete within groups of other kids they know—like their classmates—keeping them motivated to stay active. Since launching their app, Sqord has won several awards for health innovation and secured $3.2M in funding.